Bulldogs Get Ready for Ivy Competition

Andrew Holbrook.

Feb 19, 2010

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – This Sunday, Feb. 21, the Yale
men’s fencing team will head up to Ithaca, N.Y., where
Cornell will host the first half of the Ivy League Championships.
Competition will begin at 11 a.m. and Yale will fence Columbia,
Harvard, Penn and Princeton. The championships are a two-day event,
and the second half will take place the following Sunday, hosted by
Penn in Philadelphia. The Bulldogs head into Ivy competition with
an 11-2 dual-meet record. The team will leave for Ithaca Saturday
at noon bringing 16 fencers along for the competition.

“This tournament is what we have been working towards all
season,” said captain Andrew Holbrook. “Everyone has
been putting in phenomenal effort at practice and we have become a
better team for it. We have tremendous confidence in each other and
the
fact that this weekend, everyone will perform their best. We have
one goal: to win the Ivy League. I believe we can do it and every
member of this team does also.”

The Bulldogs will be the only team to fence four opponents on
Sunday, leaving only Brown for the following weekend at Penn. All
other teams receive a bye, during one of the four timeslots
scheduled for competition. However, Holbrook is undaunted by
Yale’s demanding schedule.

“Some may look at the fact that we face four schools on the
first day as a disadvantage,” he said. “I actually
think it will work to our advantage and help us to establish a
positive momentum and energy. Many of the team's best performances
have come during long days and this weekend will be no
exception.”

At last year’s Ivy Championships, Yale finished in fourth
place, with a 1-4 Ivy record. The Elis’ only victory came
against Harvard in the first day of competition. They fell in a
close match against Princeton, and also lost to Penn, Columbia and
Brown. Yale finished behind Penn, Columbia and Princeton—tied
with Harvard and Brown for fourth place.

This year, the Bulldogs are looking to improve on last
year’s performance. Though they have lost the services of
last year’s captain, epeeist Michael Pearce ’09, the
Elis have improved the overall strength of their team. The freshman
class has been particularly pivotal in shoring up the Yale saber
squad. Junior Olympian Nathaniel Benzimra, Colin Mills and William
Zhao have each made important contributions to the Bulldog saber
squad. Additionally, the Yale foil squad, which has proven itself
as the best in the nation for the past two years running by winning
the Little Iron Man trophy, has continued to perform as such this
season. The foil squad has incredible depth, with seven competent
foilists that can each fence at any time.

“This is without a doubt the strongest men’s fencing
team that Yale has put together in at least ten years,” said
Holbrook. “However, the rest of the Ivy League has improved
as well, so we have our work cut out for us.”

With its improved and well-rounded team, Yale hopes to make an
impact and compete for the Ivy League title this year.